


Something

by semele



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:06:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2495546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semele/pseuds/semele
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They aren't a couple. But they are something. It only dawns on Raven a few months after – after the shooting, the dropship, and the reunion with what was left of the Ark. Suddenly the world became bigger as they became smaller, and Raven was scared out of her mind; scared of pain, of paralysis, of captivity, of quick and ugly deaths. Not really the best time to contemplate Bellamy Blake.</p><p>(Written before 2x01 premiere; set in imaginary s2.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something

**Author's Note:**

> Written for la-petite-fadette, inspired by [this ask](http://semelewriter.tumblr.com/post/100533525194/now-i-want-a-fic-in-which-raven-hates-bellamys-prison)

They aren't a couple. But they are something.

It only dawns on Raven a few months after – after the shooting, the dropship, and the reunion with what was left of the Ark. Suddenly the world became bigger as they became smaller, and Raven was scared out of her mind; scared of pain, of paralysis, of captivity, of quick and ugly deaths. Not really the best time to contemplate Bellamy Blake.

Now, on a chilly March morning, here they are, working alongside outside Raven's tent for the third time this week, and Raven isn't even sure how this all happened.

No, that's a lie. She knows exactly how it happened. She just doesn't like to think about it.

(She doesn't like to think about the pain and the cold, and the fear that held her in an iron grip for days. Back then, Bellamy would gather up all the chores in camp that could be done indoors, then sit by Raven's bed mending clothes or cracking nuts, sometimes even cleaning guns. They didn't talk much, but he was there – there to make sure she had a glass of water and clean sheets, there to fetch Abby for her if need be, there to update her on his power struggle with Kane. 

Bellamy isn't the fussy type, and he didn't exactly coddle her, but he did bring her a screwdriver as soon as she could sit up, and that, in Raven's books, counts for something.)

Sometimes, Raven wants to tell him something profound, or at least important – a “What is this?” or a “Thank you,” anything to tackle the elephant in the room.

Today, she settles for: “Pass me the wrench.”

***

Of course after every moment of tranquility, there must be a little storm.

“I need you to stay here,” says Bellamy with intensity, and Raven laughs in his face.

They've been negotiating with the Mountain Men for weeks, hoping, finally, for a peace treaty, and Clarke insisted for Raven to come to the table and listen, listen for tricks, traps and treachery. They might be reaching an agreement, but Clarke still doesn't fully trust her former captors – not the way she learned to trust Raven's judgement.

As for Raven, well. She agreed, because she could tell that Kane really didn't want her to.

“Please, Raven. This is a trap,” insists Bellamy.

“It might be,” she confirms with a shrug. “But I don't think it is.”

This is a ridiculous thing to argue about, because really, it's none of Bellamy's business what favors she does for Clarke, or who she exchanges passive-aggressive threats with over lunch. She can tell he's struggling; biting his lip to stop himself from yelling at her or barking orders. Injured spine or not, she'd send him out of her tent flying if he raised his voice now, and judging by his face, he knows it all too well.

Good.

“Grab your gun and swap places with someone standing guard at the negotiations if it makes you feel better,” she says with a shrug, “but I'm going.”

In the end, this is precisely what he does – gives up his place at the table, and buries himself in the woods with a gun trained on the Mountain Men leader, looking for any proof of foul play. Raven can't see him, but she thinks she can feel his gaze on the back of her neck, intense, worried, and alert. He wants this deal to go through as much as she does, so he won't do anything rash or stupid, but if the Mountain Men give him any reason, he'll shoot on sight.

Oh well. It gives him something to do, and no matter what Kane says, having a backup marksman on a day like this is common sense.

Bellamy is already waiting in her tent when she returns, a little shamefaced, but mostly pale and tired. As soon as he sees her, he gets up, cups her face, and kisses her full on the mouth, something he hasn't done ever since she was shot.

It's a nice kiss, warm and comfortable, and Raven accepts it even though she can see right through Bellamy – through his slight guilt and great sense of heroism, and his posture that screams of a power trip. He must think he's accomplished something today, gained confirmation that he is, somehow, entitled. 

Raven is ready to disabuse him of this notion, but first, she wants to finish the kiss.

***

The negotiations come to nothing.

This is hardly Raven's fault, but she still feels responsible for the tricks she never spotted: Mountain Men's stalling, and all the strange questions that should've tipped her off that peace was never an option. You don't make peace with someone you consider a lab rat.

When Mountain Men attack for the first time, they don't destroy the camp only by some freaking miracle. Raven doesn't even see the battle – she is out in the woods foraging for food, just like seventy or so other people. They were caught completely unawares, and now there is nothing left but to expect another attack.

For Bellamy, this is an unexpected chance to stage a coup, and he talks about it at length, because, apparently, Raven is now his coup buddy.

He's lying on her bed with both arms crossed under his head, and his eyes are shining with excitement as he presents his strategy step by step. It's still a little awkward to have him here, a warm presence that banishes silence and nagging thoughts, but she's enjoying it so far, and she doesn't regret letting him stay.

(“I could use some company,” he said simply. “I wanted... I miss you, okay?”

Raven was tempted to point out they see each other every day, but it was clear he didn't mean just _seeing_ her, and she didn't feel like playing dumb just to mess with him. 

Truth is, she didn't feel like sleeping alone either.)

“You might have enough support to kick out Kane,” she points out as she unlaces her shoes, “but what are you gonna do next? You don't have a candidate.”

Bellamy bites his lip.

“You can't run.”

“I know.”

“Then who? Clarke? Because that won't work either. She has a criminal record, Bellamy! The adults won't go with it.”

She only has to take one look at his face to know she spotted a flaw in his plan, the part he was reluctant to get to because in some way, he knew he didn't have an answer. Raven shakes her head. This is frustrating, she knows, the way their camp is split in two now, the adults and the kids. The Ark survivors see him as a bunch of misfits with anger issues on a good day, and would happily make them shut up and follow orders again. 

Except they have to tolerate at least Bellamy and Clarke, because what's left of the Grounders won't talk to anyone else, not to mention how the grown-ups don't know things about Earth that could only have been learned at the cost of a few lives.

Like it or not, they don't have lives to spare.

“No one here knows shit about warfare,” states Raven with just a hint of annoyance in her voice. ”You don't need me to tell you that. Don't create more confusion. What did Clarke tell you?”

“The same thing. In many more words.”

“Look, I'm not saying I don't want that trigger-happy cockroach to shut up and listen for a change, but you don't have enough backing now. Step down.”

“I've been thinking about you,” says Bellamy quietly. He's rolled to his side, and is now looking at her with rare focus. Raven's skin crawls as she feels the mood shift.

So this is what he came for.

“Running against Kane? No way in hell. Not gonna happen.”

“I can see that now.”

The silence that falls after that is heavy in a way silence seldom is between them, and Raven can feel pain building up in her back from rapidly tensing muscles. Great. So much for fuzzy feelings, right?

“Are you still staying the night?” she asks, her voice raspy.

She expects him to laugh, to ruffle her and stare her down with a challenge, but Bellamy is almost solemn, his eyes fixed on his own hand resting on her pillow.

“This is your tent, Raven. So am I?”

May I?

“Come closer,” she answers after a minute. “You're stealing the blanket.”

***

This doesn't mean Raven doesn't knock Kane down a peg the moment she gets a chance. It keeps him in good behavior to know that after his failure with the Mountain Men, they could undermine him if they chose to. And hey, Raven still hates the bastard. 

She likes to think that she had a part in how quickly he now agreed to give The Hundred four seats on the rebooted Council in exchange for full cooperation.

This war feels different than last year's conflict with the Grounders – it's colder and less frantic, with much more room for strategy. The Mountain Men still can wipe them off the face of the Earth, but they are stronger now, stronger in numbers and tech, not helpless by a long shot.

They have an alliance.

The Grounders don't want any part in what they see as not their fight, but Clarke talks her head off, weaving arguments, plans and promises until she strikes a bargain, knowledge for knowledge. Even as they start building new fortifications, a few trackers show up in their camp, and lead out scouting teams, teaching trails, and stealth, and hiding. Raven works with Grounder blacksmiths to figure out how to make tools, while two Ark engineers spend days drawing circuits and waves, looking for materials and building batteries. 

It's not much, but it is something.

While Clarke and Raven work on the outside, it's Bellamy's job to maintain the fragile balance within – to plan with Abby, to have Monty's back, to not lose his cool with Kane. Neither The Hundred nor the Ark refugees can survive alone, but it's a fact that bears reminding over and over again, until it sinks in. They all know they have to recognize each other, even though no one likes the idea very much.

Bellamy keeps coming back to Raven's tent, and soon it's not enough to just sleep in the same bed – not enough for him, and sure as hell not enough for her. She likes to think he wants her more than he needs her, and maybe it's even true, because he lost the edge she remembers from their first time together. He's calmer now, or maybe she's calmer? 

Oh, who cares.

He's warm, he's eager and attentive, and Raven basks in his attention – in how he can spend long minutes building her up, or how he listens to every hint she whispers to his ear. He's doing this to lose himself, to take his mind off of the grim reality waiting for him outside Raven's tent, and she's not about to judge. Bellamy is the kind of person who always needs to keep his hands busy.

It takes one to know one.

(“Did it help?” she asked, gasping, after he spent what felt like an hour with his head between her legs.

“Yeah,” he answered with a breathless little laugh. “Yeah, it kinda did.”

In hindsight, that was a great opportunity to talk, to discuss feelings and thoughts and ground rules. They aren't a couple, but they are something, and they aren't exactly going to figure it out by reading each other's minds. Raven was even about to ask a few questions, but before she could wrap her mind around the right words, they were both fast asleep.)

***

Kane comes up with a diversion.

“They don't know how many people we have,” he explains at the Council meeting. “We should use it to our advantage.”

The plan is simple: once the Mountain Men attack, a previously selected team grabs some explosives, gets out of camp through a tunnel, heads towards Mount Weather, and plants a bomb as far inside as they can. Once their base is gone, explains Kane, and their tech is blown to pieces, they will be less of threat. Think of it as levelling the field.

Bellamy hates it.

“It's a suicide mission,” he counters. “The camp will be weakened, and that team will never come back after you send them into a death trap. We can't afford it.”

Abby backs him up with numbers, alive and dead and wounded, and soon all hell breaks loose in the Council tent: for once, Clarke agrees with Bellamy, but most of the adults support Kane, and won't be persuaded by anything. Raven takes a good look at the data in Abby's hand, and numbers don't lie: they really can't afford the risk, they'll never survive another attack if their defense is anything less than a hundred percent. And yet afford it they must, or else there will be a third attack, then a fourth and a fifth, until there is no one left to bleed.

It's rather simple, really.

“I'll plant your bomb,” she says in a calm voice, and the whole room falls silent. “I'll do it myself.”

***

After that, they have a fight.

Raven knows Bellamy can say horrible things when he's angry, but now he shouts them in her face with a force that surprises her. He holds her arm in a bruising grip, his eyes wide with terror, and acts as if she just signed up for a suicide mission, don't you dare, don't you fucking dare, I won't let you.

Well, she isn't exactly asking for permission.

He returns in the dead of the night with dry, red eyes and shaking hands, and he pours out his heart until it's worse than the screams. There is a part of Raven, a nasty, selfish part that enjoys how much he cares, but no matter how he begs, it's not going to suddenly turn her into this person who follows orders.

They really should have talked ground rules when they has a chance.

“You know this is our best option,” she says over and over again, then repeats, like a promise: “I'm not going to blow myself up.”

They fight until they're too tired to move, then fall asleep still facing each other, Bellamy's arms wrapped protectively around Raven's waist.

In the morning, she kisses his cheek (they are something, you see), and leaves him sleeping in her bed as she goes to build a bomb.

***

(On the day of the attack, she doesn't stop him from following her into the tunnel.)


End file.
